94% of winning candidates in 2010 had more money than their unsuccessful opponents

[Bozita]

Thank you, Citizens United.

The Center for Responsive Politics is the source of the number. Dylan Ratigan's show is where this discussion is taking place.

[Freddie Stubbs]

1. How is that any different than the elections before Citizens United?

[TheWraith]

2. Probably not by much, I would imagine. nt

[Selatius]

6. The fear is it will get far worse.

The fear is if you're a pro-labor candidate, instead of being outspent two to one, it could be four or five to one in the not too distant future. You'd have to be filthy rich to respond against that kind of firepower or be the next coming of FDR, LBJ, JFK, and Teddy Roosevelt rolled into one. Being like Bernie Sanders would be good, too. Sanders is untouchable in Vermont. His pro-labor stance has made him wildly popular up there despite the fact he is an avowed socialist.

[Bozita]

3. Ratigan's show today is linked to this Huffpo piece - video included

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/26/super-pacs-secret-money-campaign-finance_n_977699.html



Super PACs And Secret Money: The Unregulated Shadow Campaign
Paul Blumenthal
[e-mail]
First Posted: 9/26/11 10:40 AM ET Updated: 9/26/11 01:32 PM ET

This article is part of a collaboration with MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show for the series "Mad As Hell: Get Money Out," airing Monday and Tuesday at 4 p.m. EST.


WASHINGTON -- In the span of a week in September, two independent political committees announced unheard-of fundraising plans for the coming campaign season. The Karl Rove-linked American Crossroads, along with its sister nonprofit, Crossroads GPS, announced a plan to raise and spend $240 million in 2012. Make Us Great Again, a group solely dedicated to electing Texas Gov. Rick Perry the 45th President of the United States, revealed a plan to spend $55 million in the Republican primary alone. Both of these multimillion dollar plans would break all reported records for spending by an independent political committee, and offer a sign of how campaign finance rules have been upended.

The federal system of campaign finance is in the midst of a sea change following the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC), which undid a host of regulations covering the use of corporate and union money by independent groups in elections. Those independent groups are forming a shadow campaign apparatus fueled by unlimited and often undisclosed contributions, without the same accountability required of political parties or candidates' own political action committees.

American Crossroads and Make Us Great Again represent one of the two new kinds of groups playing in the shadow campaign: super PACs, independent political committees filed with the FEC that can accept unlimited funds from corporations, unions and individuals.

In their debut election cycle in 2010, super PACs, like American Crossroads, spent a combined $65.3 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. This was part of a huge surge in spending by non-party groups, whose spending hit $304 million in 2010, a record for any election cycle -- presidential or midterm.

more...

[Davis_X_Machina]

7. At no time in the last fifty years has the re-elect...

...percentage for House incumbents gone below 80%.

And incumbents find it far easier to raise money.

There's your effect, and cause. CU has little to do with it.

[FBaggins]

4. I wouldn't say that's related to CU.

If anything, it could be lower than in some prior cycles.

The bulk of the House races, for instance, are rarely competitive. The advantage of incumbency in a non-competitive district means both an easy win and easy fundraising.

The second factor is that, in most races, people have a good idea who is going to win... and some of them like to support the winner (and are less inclined to "waste" money on the loser).

[Dover]

5. You mean there's a correlation between political outcomes and big money? WOW!

Who woulda thunk... :think:

Kidding. Always helpful to gather proof.

[sam11111]

8. money buys elections Before ...During....and After elections

Before...by owning the media

During....ads ads ads

After...bribes to officials when needed

[moondust]

9. Is that why Republicans continue to be scoundrels despite public opinion?

Are they so overconfident that they can BUY the next election (thanks to CU) that they are simply going to obstruct everything for yet another year until they will surely control all of Washington?

:shrug:

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. The opinion of the public doesn't matter.

The opinion of that portion of the public that shows up and votes, matters.

Angry, invested minorities roll apathetic majorities all the time.